Delirium

By: Lauren Oliver

Narrated by: Sarah Drew

Lauren Oliver's powerful New York Times bestselling novel Delirium—the first in a dystopian trilogy—presents a world as terrifying as George Orwell's 1984 and a romance as true as Romeo & Juliet.

In an alternate United States, love has been declared a dangerous disease, and the government forces everyone who reaches eighteen to have a procedure called the Cure. Living with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in Portland, Maine, Lena Haloway is very much looking forward to being cured and living a safe, predictable life. She watched love destroy her mother and isn't about to make the same mistakes.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena meets enigmatic Alex, a boy from the Wilds who lives under the government's radar. What will happen if they do the unthinkable and fall in love?

Delirium received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal, and was named a Best Book of the Year by USA Today, Kirkus, Amazon.com, YALSA, and the Chicago Public Library and was selected as one of NPR's Top 100 Best Ever Teen Novels.

Supports the Common Core State Standards

Excellent

I bought this audiobook immediately after finishing Before I Fall. While the subject matter is very different, Delirium is just as beautiful and touching as Oliver's debut. Sarah Drew makes an excellent narrator (although I could see how her 'voices' could bother some people). Delirium is a fantastic book, and having found out that it is the first of a planned trilogy is very exciting. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Before I Fall or books like Uglies, The Hunger Games, Looking for Alaska, etc.

I hate to be a downer, but...

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I feel out of place with this review, but as a fan of YA I really couldn't stand this book. I quite liked Before I Fall, but this story dragged and the prose was totally overwrought. Sarah Drew did the best she could with it but I just found myself rolling my eyes and having to turn it off. I could only listen to this in short bits. Does every observation by the protagonist have to be so dramatic? There were many parts of Before I Fall that were overwrought as well so maybe I am just having trouble with Lauren Oliver.

Would you be willing to try another book from Lauren Oliver? Why or why not?

Yes, but not in this series.

Would you be willing to try another one of Sarah Drew’s performances?

Probably.

Was Delirium worth the listening time?

No.

Great Listen

Any additional comments?

Good characters. I really enjoyed listening to this book. I would definitely recommend it if you like this genre.

Pleasantly surprised

What did you like best about this story?

I really liked the story line. It takes place in the future and the author made it seem very believable.

Have you listened to any of Sarah Drew’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't heard her before but I thought she did a great job.

Any additional comments?

I kept seeing this book but thought it would be a let down since I am not a teenager (for quite a while now). I enjoyed the Hunger Games and I decided to purchase this book since I read the reviews. I was thrilled and didn't want it to end.

In Love With Words

It IS possible to fall in love with a new favorite book at my age. it's love as a subject, as a necessity , and as a delicate but unyielding part of humanity that makes every word of this Audible book true for me, true for you, and true for each person who listens Drew is powerful in her storytelling making me believe that she knows and feels and has loved a lifetime of living to put this much of herself into a narrative . A book about failed policy , empty and misguided humanity, and the insanity of a world without love, the tale Oliver tells is astounding because it's possible , it's hair rising because it could happen and it's scary as hell because humans always seem to ride the edges of selfish and self destructive canyons with the abyss calling to us. I don't want to be around when our penchant for over diagnosing smashes the life out of our ability to love and smashes the love out of our ability to live but I will follow the story into book two. I'm hooked